Super-telescope grounded

NASA yesterday again postponed the launch of its infra-red space telescope designed to study objects that are too dust-concealed, too cold or too distant to be detected by existing equipment.

The Space Infra-red Telescope Facility (SIRTF) was originally scheduled to be launched on April 17 aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was postponed to April 27 because of problems with one of nine motors - and is now due to be launched in mid-August.

Researchers will use the four-metre-long telescope to study planets and stellar fragments that surround certain stars, in the hope of finding a planet similar to Earth with favourable conditions for life. The SIRTF's infra-red sensors will allow it to see further into the universe than ever before.

The telescope, with an 85-centimetre-diameter lens, is equipped with three scientific cryogenic cooling instruments. Its mission could last up to five years.